When Doctor Who returns to the BBC (in the UK) and Disney+ stateside, there will be plenty of familiar faces.

A new trailer dropped this week that gives us insight into the three specials on tap for 2023.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate were both pivotal parts of the revival's success early on, so it's nostalgic to see the pair in the new trailer.

Tennant's return was teased in the recent season finale after Jodie Whittaker's iteration of the Time Lord regenerated into the former Doctor.

It was a huge surprise because the BBC had announced Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa as the next leader of the series.

However, we'll be getting Tennant back for a handful of episodes before Gatwa takes over the role full-time.

“If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!” said Davies of the big shocker.

“The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble (to be played again by Catherine Tate)?"

"How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”

The trailer hints that Donna's fate is tied to not knowing about the Doctor's existence.

We also meet Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney, who will be playing the mysterious role of Rose.

It's unclear whether new companion Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson) will be a part of the three episodes that are on tap for November 2023.

The reason for the delay is that these episodes are being used to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, which will usher in the next generation of the groundbreaking series.

Check out the trailer below, and hit the comments with your thoughts.

Are you ready for what comes next?

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.